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Imperial Navy
and TIE Fighters shortly before the Battle of Endor.]] The Imperial Navy, also known as the Imperial Starfleet or Imperial Fleet has many responsibilities; it is expected to secure the system space of Imperial worlds, to eliminate hazards to profitable commerce, to bolster local forces in times of crisis and conduct military operations against hostile governments. To achieve these goals, the Imperial Navy is divided into sector fleets, the precise size and composition varying with the importance of the sector and available resources. While regional governors maintain their own fleets, these are typically more apt to handling day to day piracy, customs enforcement and warding off minor skirmishes with hostile powers. Most governors are reliant on the Navy's sector fleet for more substantial support, which Imperial law obligates it to provide. Player Characters in the Imperial Navy The Imperial Navy is a sprawling organisation, of staggering size and complexity. The largest Star Destroyers have over 45,000 people aboard and all of them must be fed, clothed, paid, exercised, rested, drilled and disciplined. The vast majority of naval personnel and TIE corps members are enlisted ratings, governed by non-commissioned officers who report to junior officers who in turn report to senior officers who report to the captain, and they to the fleet's admiral, the fleet's admiral to the admiralty board and finally the Emperor. In order to provide the best environment for role-play, the individually minor roles in the Imperial Navy are considered the realm of NPCs. Player Characters are generally senior and commanding officers aboard the larger warships. Recruitment Enlisted service-beings can be recruited from any Imperial world. They undergo minimal basic training before taking their positions aboard starships, where further training is vocational, 'on the job' under the supervision of non-commissioned officers. Officers attend formal academies, where they're trained in all aspects of naval operation and select a specialism. Institutions vary in prestige and selection is extremely competitive - the right academy can mean assignment to a modern Star Destroyer in a valuable sector fleet, offering a bright future. The wrong academy may doom a young officer to a tired old customs ship in a remote backwater. Chain of Command The Imperial Navy operates a strict chain of command model, it is typically more important that a task be done according to protocol than very quickly or particularly well, though the ISB may insist that they are all the same thing. Individual initiative is thoroughly beaten out of enlisted ratings to minimise disruptions and junior officers are accustomed to their superiors taking the credit for their good ideas in exchange for letting the bright spark ride their coat tails to a senior position of their own. Superior officers are at all times addressed as 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' according to their preference, while inferiors are addressed by their rank and/or family name. Only commissioned officers of superior rank are saluted, and only while they are in full uniform. Promotions In principle, promotions are recommended by a service-being's superior officer and passed up the chain until they are either denied on stated grounds, or given approval by the commanding officer. In practice, enlisted promotions are rare - generally to fill a vacant position rather than because it is merited. Amongst officers, it is typical for a junior to follow a patron superior up the ranks. Outliers do exist, however. Commanding officers are able to award battlefield promotions as they see fit, and nothing formally prevents a promotion from being initiated from higher up the chain of command than an immediate superior. Aliens are a rare sight in the Imperial Navy. Although all members are Imperial citizens, they face very real discrimination. They are mostly found amongst the enlisted and junior officers, though some rise higher. Near-humans, particularly those with minimal distinguishing features suffer considerably less barriers to advancement but a great deal depends on the prejudices of the commanding officer. Uniforms Imperial Dress Uniform Reserved for special occasions such as ceremonies, formal banquets, and the like. It was not to be worn at any other time, and doing so would result in punishment of some sort. :See Imperial Dress Uniform Guidelines. Imperial Duty Uniform For standard day-to-day duty and tasks. :See Imperial Duty Uniform Guidelines Fighter Pilot Uniforms :See Imperial Starfighter Corps Uniform Guidelines Doctrine The Imperial Navy focuses on capital ship firepower and generally neglect starfighter superiority. Small vessels cannot efficiently carry armies from one unruly system to the next, limiting their application. The Navy is led by the Grand Admiral, who chairs the admirality board and serves at the pleasure of the Emperor as commander-in-chief of the Empire's military. History The Navy Under Valak After the fragmentation of the Empire in the wake of Endor, the Navy was heavily divided between various warlords vying for total control of the Empire, in what is now known as the Post-Endor Imperial power struggle. The Interim Ruling Council was the legitimate face of the Empire during these turbulent times, and large Naval assets flocked to this council, including the Emperor's Pride Fleet. The four ''Executor''-class Star Dreadnoughts left to the Empire after Endor fell into the hands of powerful admirals, as did the thousands of Imperial Star Destroyers. As the power struggle raged, the Imperial Navy more or less ceased to exist. By the coronation of Bacharan Valak in 8 ABY, the Imperial Navy had lost over half its original strength. Valak undertook a program of rebuilding and during the Great Campaign of 8 ABY, a revitalized Imperial Navy retook massive amounts of territory, including Coruscant itself. Subsequent Imperial Civil War further weakened the Empire, including the War of the Throne. The New Republic exploited these opportunities, retaking Coruscant and pushing the Empire back. Imperial Blitzkrieg Undertaken in 14 ABY, a resurgent Imperial Navy under the command of Darth Malign and High Admiral Danik Kreldin once again stormed through the core worlds. The campaign ended with an Imperial victory and the ''Liberation of Coruscant ''in 15 ABY. In the years that have followed, the Imperial military has transitioned to an occupying and defensive force. Taskforces have been dissolved and vessels assigned to localised sector fleets, with occassional task forces being formed on an ad-hoc basis. The Imperial Blitzkrieg took a heavy toll on the Empire's resources. Despite the years of rebuilding that have followed, the Empire has failed to move beyond simply holding its captured territory - powerful fiefdoms resist weakening their positions by risking their assets in grand military campaigns and the Emperor seems unable or unwilling to force the issue. Category:Imperial Organizations